The term "Havenite" was used to describe any person, object or concept associated with the Republic. During the period when Haven was known as the People's Republic of Haven (and on occasion thereafter), the term "Peep" was also used.

Despite being located more than one hundred and fifty light years further from Earth, Haven was settled over a century before Manticore thanks to the development of the Warshawski sail. Haven was exceptionally suited to human life, a fact which, coupled with the financial support of a joint venture of eleven Solarian League-based corporate sponsors that funded the original colony mission, ensured an very fast growth rate for the new colony.

During its first centuries of existence, the Republic of Haven was one of the most prosperous human worlds in the galaxy, and was viewed as a sort of "interstellar Athens." Considering the poverty of its less favored citizens an aberration in light of Haven's prosperity, the Havenite government launched welfare measures which, after a few centuries, became a caricature of a welfare state.

In 1700 PD, the Republic was renamed the "People's Republic of Haven" and used a kind of deceit that transformed the poor sections of society into a welfare state, in which citizens were entitled to a specified standard of living adjusted for inflation known as a Basic Living Stipend. The new head of state became the Hereditary President. A new breed of machine politicians, called Dolist Managers, emerged as kingmakers, being able to deliver the votes of millions of so-called "Dolists" to the candidates (called Legislaturists) of their choosing. Some years later, the deteriorating financial and economic condition of the Republic led to the DuQuesne Plan which expected to use conquest to make up the shortfall. The original Havenite democracy disappeared, and power came to be concentrated within the Legislaturalist families, who established a number of secret police organizations to maintain control over the renamed People's Republic of Haven. The original Havenite Constitution was replaced by a new document which enshrined Legislaturalist rule. This constitution was the first step of the so-called "DuQuesne Plan", named after the Havenite politician who proposed it. (HH1)

Around 1845, the PRH began a campaign of expansion in order to find new sources of income to compensate for the increasingly underperforming economy, including the welfare state. The Pegasus System was one of its first conquests. The PRH made no declaration of war, so the Pegasus System Navy had no warning. The Gaston System was one of the next conquests about ten years later, and while no declaration of war was made in that case either, the Gaston Space Navy had seen what had happened to Pegasus and was better prepared. (HH8)

In 1901 PD, all Havenite vessels were subjected to search by a Star Kingdom of Manticore Royal Proclamation because of the incident at Medusa. (HH1) Honor Harrington was tried and convicted in absentia by an Havenite court of murder, but also decorated and promoted by the Royal Manicoran Navy.

In 1903 PD, the PRH started to send supplies, men, and warships to the Endicott System to help in the coming war with Manticore. (HH2)

In 1904 PD, nearly two-thirds of Haven's population were Dolists. The economy was in shambles with rampant inflation and the treasury has been empty since 1804 PD. The PRH would recognize the Zanzibar Liberation Front in order to destabilize the government of the Caliphate of Zanzibar. In response, Zanzibar broke off diplomatic ties. (HH4)

In mid 1922 PD, Anton Zilwicki and Victor Cachat returned to Nouveau Paris with the information that the Haven-Manticore conflicts had been sparked by the Mesan Alignment, who were also pushing the Solarian League into war with Manticore. Determined to bring about permanent peace and unwilling to allow herself to be manipulated any further, President Eloise Pritchart took a few key members of her Cabinet, sailed straight to Manticore, gave this information to Queen Elizabeth III, and offered a peace treaty. Moreover, Pritchart proposed that Haven join with Manticore in the coming struggle against Mesa and the League, thus ending decades of warfare and forming the Grand Alliance. (HH12, HH13)

The treaty, which included the formation of the Grand Alliance, was confirmed in the Havenite Congress by an overwhelming margin in July 1922 PD, and was also confirmed by the Manticoran Parliament. (HH13)

After the reformation of the Constitution which transformed the original Republic into the People's Republic, as per the DuQuesne Plan, the Senate was dissolved and the collective body of the Dolist Managers, the People's Quorum, was integrated into the government of the People's Republic.

The restoration of the original Constitution by the post-Committee Pritchart Administration led to the reestablishment of Congress, which was again composed of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. (HH10)

During the People's Republic, the highest court in the Havenite judiciary system was the Supreme Tribunal of the People's Justice, whose members were known as People's Justices. Following the restoration of the original Constitution, a Supreme Court was established as the highest court of law of the Republic of Haven [1], with powers of judicial review over every legislation passed by Congress. (HH12)

After the overthrow of the Committee of Public Safety and the restoration of the original Constitution, the existance of free political parties was once again authorized and several arose during the years of the Pritchart Administration. In order to ensure wide support for the Constitution, President Pritchart's cabinet included several members who belonged to different political parties. (HH12)

The economy of Haven was very fragile, and to help stabilize the economy, the government kept a constant state of warfare and conquests. The legal currency of Haven (throughout all its changes of government) was the Havenite credit. (HHA4.4: LGTP)

Two centuries of deficit spending had wrecked Haven's economy to the point that the Legislaturists and the Dolist Managers were unable to fix the problem at the beginning of the 20th Century PD. (HH1)

In attempts to control the population, the government outlawed material describing the history of Haven in the pre-People's Republic era and other material that was deemed illegal. The Mental Hygiene Police was responsible for enforcing these laws.

Dolists were the part of Havenine original lower class; they did not work and were supported with a Basic Living Stipend to live on. The BLS would change whenever the Government needed more money, especially in times of peace. (HH1) There were no Dolists supported with the BLS in the freshly conquered systems: those systems had to be expoited to support the poor Havenite economy. (HHA4.4: LGTP)

The Legislaturists were the ruling class of Haven under the DuQuesne plan, and were, in effect, a hereditary nobility. The DuQuesne plan originally intended for a non-hereditary system, in which replacements were selected via a cadet process. Being a Legislaturist opened many doors, such as high ranking positions in the government and military. (HH3)